Hachiko

"Love looks not with eyes but with heart, and therefore is winged cupid painted blind".

William Shakespeare quoted in Midsummer's' night's dream'

A life without love is like a book without pages. Love doesn't know any language, some hearts understand each other even in silence.

And when you get love in it's purest, unconditional form love, the love which you don't have to earn, unswayed by time and conditions, you reach the transcendental stage. The divine. It is beyond comprehension beyond explanation and far beyond normal way of perceiving things. You not only feel so intimately united with the other life force but you feel connected with the whole universe.

We live in fragmented and disconnected relations, Even a partner comes into your life and gives you polar experiences of life from intense love to intense pain. And both these emotions are salt and pepper of life, which help us grow in life.

The only creature who is evolved to convey pure unadulterated love is Dog.

Dog is the only creature on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

He is not like us humans who decide one day that he has to change his master (partner)

This is a story of unbridled love between two souls.

Eizaburo Ueno was a professor of agriculture at Tokyo University, He always had an inert desire to own a purebred Japanese Akita dog. And one day his prayers were answered when he got a chance to adopt one.

The dog was named Hachiko (Hachi). Soon they both became inseparable, the bonding and love was to be seen to believe.

It seemed as if the two had true soul connection. Prof. would not sleep before feeding Hachi, he treated him like his son, feeding, bathing, and playing with him.

Hachi too responded to his love.

As Hachi grew up he started accompanying Prof. to train station to see him off to work in morning and picking him up back home in the evening.

Soon this became a routine. Hachi became a familiar face in Shibuya Train Station, Tokyo. His punctuality was remarkable he would reach station before the train would.

On their return to home they (Prof. and Hachi) would visit a meat shop and Hachi would get his favourite piece everyday.

He was a happy dog and was befriended by many vendors at the station. People started admiring him for his punctuality and love towards his master.

It was one such evening when Hachi went to the station to pick up his master. But Prof.didnot show up. It turned out that Prof. had a brain stroke while at work and had died while at work.

Life was tossed in the air for Ueno family. They were shattered, they had to shift to a smaller place. The family came together to share each other's grief.

But Hachi, Hachi couldn't reconcile with what was happening around him. He refused to move away with family and they had to leave him with their gardener. Hachi couldn't understand where had Ueno gone. He was not ready to accept that he was orphaned.

He would daily go to the station and sit there for hours with an unflinching determination to seek his master. His spirit was unhampered unmoved.

Waiting is painful But for Hachi forgetting was even more painful. His soul was languished and seeking his master.

Days weeks months passed by but Hachi didn't budge from his routine, he would reach everyday and wait there with his eyes waiting patiently for Uneo. The wait was stretching and getting miserable. Hutchi was growing old now.

He had developed age-related ailments.

And then after waiting patiently for nine years nine months and fifteen days.

 Hachi was summoned by Uneo to his world in heaven.

Hachi passed away on 8th March 1935. The deepest spiritual lesson he taught is that happiness and love is not in God letting us have our own way, but by his making us wait bearing with us in love and patience and understanding his ways. 

Hachi was buried next to his master finally they were united in death ,and a bronze statue was installed there.

Tokyo University has also installed a statue in memory of Prof. Uneo and Hachiko; movies were screened in 1987 (Japanese) and 2009 (American). Hachiko’s fur, which was preserved after his death, was stuffed and mounted and is currently on permanent display at the National Science Museum of Japan.

Each year on March 8, Hachikō's devotion is honoured with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station. Hundreds of dog lovers often turn out to honour his memory and loyalty.

HACHIKO BECAME A NAME SYNONYMOUS WITH LOVE LOYALTY AND PATIENCE.